Marquette, MI, United States

 Welcome to Marquette!!

2010 Distinctive Destination

                   - National Trust of Historic Preservation (Voted #1 Fan Favorite)

• 2008 Top 10 Winter Family Getaways - Weather Channel
• 2008 #7 Best Place to Live for Hunters and Anglers - Outdoor Life  Magazine
• 2008 #7 in Mid-West in Rural America - Progressive Farmer
• 2005, 2007, 2008 One of the 100 Best Communities for Young People - America's Promise: Alliance for Youth
• 2006 #7 Place to Build a Vacation Home - Men's Journal
• 2005 Top 10 Summer Vacation Destination - Sherman Travel
• 2004 Most Livable Community - Partners for Livable Communities
• 2004 Michigan Cool City - Governor Jennifer Granholm
• 2003 All America County - National Civic League
• Tree City for 28 Years

The City of Marquette is located in the central region of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It is the UP’s largest community with a population of 20,714.  In addition to being a population center, it serves as the regional center for education(Northern Michigan University), health care(Marquette General Hospital), recreation, and retail.

HISTORY-

The land around Marquette was known to French missionaries of the early 17th century and the trappers of the early 19th century. Development of the area did not begin, however, until 1844, when William Burt and Jacob Houghton (the brother of geologist Douglass Houghton) discovered iron deposits near Teal Lake west of Marquette. In 1845, Jackson Mining Company, the first organized mining company in the region, was formed.

Front Street around 1909. The Marquette County

Savings Bank Building clocktower in the

background still stands today.

The village of Marquette began on September 14, 1849, with the formation of a second iron concern, the Marquette Iron Company. Three men participated in organizing the firm: Robert J. Graveraet, who had prospected the region for ore; Edward Clark, agent for Waterman A. Fisher of Worcester, Massachusetts, who financed the company, and Amos Rogers Harlow. The village was at first called New Worcester, with Harlow as the first postmaster. On August 21, 1850, the name was changed to honor Jacques Marquette, the French Jesuit missionary who had explored the region.

The services, culture, recreation and beauty of Marquette are plentiful.  Marquette is the perfect mix of old and new, woods and beach, traditional and contemporary.    Take a look at just some of the things listed here that Marquette has to offer!

 Superior Dome-   The Superior Dome has been home to the NMU Wildcat football team since its construction in 1991 and is now also home to the Wildcat soccer team and the Wildcat track teams. The Dome stands 14 stories high and encompasses 5.1 acres under its roof. Constructed of 781 Douglas Fir beams and 108.5 miles of fir decking, the Dome has a permanent seating capacity of 8,000, although the building can hold as many as 16,000 people.                       In the "Book of World Records - 2010," the Superior Dome is listed as the fifth-largest dome structure in the world (largest being measured by diameter). The four other structures that are larger are made of steel, making it the largest wooden dome structure.  The facility has a diameter of 536 feet. It has the ability to withstand 60 pounds per square foot of snow and 80 mile per hour winds.

  Sugarloaf Mountain- Sugarloaf Mountain is one of the most popular scenic overlooks on the central Upper Peninsula coastline.  The Sugarloaf Mountain Natural Area consists of a 3,200 foot trail of pathway and stairway segments that lead to the mountain's summit 470 feet above Lake Superior.

U.S. Olympic Education Center -         The only Olympic education center in the nation and one of four U.S. Olympic training centers. The Berry Events Center was the site of a 2003 ISU World Cup Short Track Speedskating events where two world records were set. It also held the 2006 U.S. Short Track Speedskating Championships, which served as the Olympic Trials for the U.S. Team that competed at the Torino Winter Games.

Marquette County Courthouse               Robert Traver (John Voelker) set his novels Anatomy of a Murder (1958) and Laughing Whitefish (1965) in Marquette. The film version of Anatomy of a Murder, dramatizing an incident that happened in the area, was partly filmed in Marquette and Big Bay. Much of it was filmed in the Marquette County Courthouse in Marquette. Traver's Danny and the Boys (1951) is a collection of short stories set in and around Marquette.

                        Peter White Public Library

 Musuems:                                                                                                                    Marquette County History Museum
Marquette Maritime Museum
Upper Peninsula Children's Museum                                                                                       DeVos Art Museum

Festivals: 

Lower Harbor Food Fest

Seafood Fest

Blueberry Festival

Hiawatha Music Fest

Blues Fest

Winter Brings New Beauty and Activities

Cross country ski trails, ice fishing, ice skating (indoor and outdoor), hockey, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, down hill skiing and sled dog races!

Marquette Mountain-     One of the most challenging ski areas in Michigan and Wisconsin.  Great for beginners and experts. 

UP 200 Sled Dog Race

 No matter the season, Marquette offers many fun activities and events!  Friendly people, great restaurants and beautiful scenery.